Hello TV Addicts! This is Mike V. of the Lost Addicts Blog among others. This blog covers any TV past, present and future! Look for my recaps/commentary on the latest episodes of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, archived recaps on Fringe and several others, and weekly open forums on the current episodes of several other favorite shows. Please continue to chime in with your thoughts too!

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Saturday, March 24, 2012

So, what do I start with? Oh, I think the obligatory "I KNEW IT!!" applies here! But, we'll get to that in detail later. What a fantastic episode of Fringe! They did what they do best tying the case's theme to the entire Fringe saga and advancing the plot into the next phase that should bring season 4 to its logical conclusion. Big answers were revealed, old seasons were revisited, and jaws were dropped. Can't ask much more from a Fringe episode, and this one deserves a big WOW from me!

But on an interesting "behind the scenes" note, did anyone notice that the Twitter hashtag during the episode said #WhereYouBelong? That little garage start-up of a Twitter campaign has reached some pretty public levels! At the most recent Wondercon, even Joshua Jackson was sporting a pin that showed he was supporting the Twitter campaign. And he and one of the showrunners J.H. Wyman further supported it by tweeting live during the episode last night using said hashtag. Pretty darn impressive, and ingenious if you ask me. Once again, this Fringe related hashtag was the top trending topic on Twitter for a few hours during the East and West coast feeds. All of this publicity cannot be bad for its renewal chances (which keep improving as it is).

Anyway, it's time that we get into recapping this wonderful addition to the Fringe mythology!

Fringe Case of the Week

This week's case was one sick and demented love story. The killer's name I cannot remember, but he had the ability to smell when a couple was in love. Having lost the love of his life, he wanted to recapture a moment of that chemical connection with other women. It involved extracting pheromones from the male significant others (even if they were adulterers) through some dehydration process that ended up killing them. He would then apply this "scent" to his neck and "woo" the female counterparts. They would immediately fall under his spell, throw him a little smooch and then proceed to be suffocated, strangled, pretty much killed somehow. Ouch! Of course, he did show a moment of weakness when he saw one couple had a child. He skipped them all together. Just warms your heart, right?

They never explained why this guy's face was half burned or whatever it was. Or maybe I missed it. But, Olivia and Lincoln did eventually track down the killer with Walter's help in identifying a chemical ingredient called castoria or something. They are able to save a man's mistress from her untimely death. But, Olivia learns a few things on the way.

She learns all about how TRUE LOVE does exist. The one married couple that she was after at the end ended up not being in love. They were friends in college and he was there for every break-up hoping to become the next boyfriend. If this was How I Met Your Mother, we'd say that this girl had him on the hook! But somehow after he tirelessly didn't understand the difference between loving someone and being in love, she caved. She gave up on searching for true love and settled for her man on a leash.

Later on, when she catches the killer, Olivia finds out that this man believed every one deserves to have that feeling of true love. He had found just the right chemicals/balance for people to experience that connection. And he could smell it on Olivia that she already was in love. Hmmmm...maybe we should "OBSERVE" that for a bit below?

Observ'er'ations

Glyph Code - QUILL - No idea on the relevance of this one. I do know that OVER THERE, they stopped using pens a long time ago in favor of digital solutions. But, somehow I don't think that's where they're going with this. Thanks to Fringepedia for the screenshot!

Observer Spotted!

Boy was he ever! September reappeared in this episode but it wasn't without a little help from Peter and Walter. Walter had a "nanny cam" installed in a teddy bear to spy on some maintenance men or something who he thought were stealing his food. But this ended up recording the disappearance of September. When slowed down, we could see many observers present and pretty much taking September. But September did something to Peter's eye undetected by the rest.

Peter was enroute to New York to get away from Olivia and not interfere with this "timeline" anymore. Walter, while impressed with Peter's resolve, requested him to come back. They did find something on his eye. It was some kind of tablet or something that would have dissolved into Peter's eye making him subconsciously want to go to the address that September desired. (This immediately made me think that maybe the other observers tampered with our other people who have forgotten Peter. Then again, that could be irrelevant based on September's eventual explanation)

Peter went to the address provided and found a hidden briefcase in a record player. (and I must say, the kitchen in that apartment looked exactly like the Oracle's from The Matrix! But, I'm sure that wasn't intentional.) In the briefcase there were some Observer Binoculars and GPS Tracker thingy. Peter followed it to a spot and what appeared but a BEACON!! The beacon first made its appearance in season 1 when we first met September. He was intent on and succeeded in stealing it. Looks like September may have needed said beacon for this very moment.

Peter brought the beacon back to his place and tried to activate it. It eventually turned itself on projecting an image of September (or possibly bringing him back all together). September explained how the other observers ended up LOCKING HIM OUT of this universe. They hid it from him. The beacon allowed him to come back. Peter realizes that he helped September which means he wants the favor returned. He doesn't know how to get home. Ahhh but we all here at TV Addicts Blog knew what September would say, right? "You have been home all along!" BOOM!!! There it is! Yes, I did pat myself on the back several times remembering that I stuck by this theory all the way back to the first episode. I know I wasn't alone so well done team! They tried their best to sway us, but we kept our resolve.

Anyway, we got more details into the HOW or really the "I can't explain how." September pretty much said it had nothing to do with scientific possibility or probability. Peter was pretty much willed back to existence through love. Through the connections that people had with him and that he had with people. In hindsight, those early episodes this season showed that there was a deep hole missing in Olivia and Walter. Things that made them better people for having Peter in their lives. We even speculated on Broyles's comment earlier in the season implied that Peter would return to where he belongs and he did, "People can leave an indelible mark on the soul, an imprint that cannot be erased." There were signs all season. Ones we observed right along with September and were vindicated in the end!

So Olivia's "love connection" has been reestablished with Peter but there is still work to be done with Walter, Broyles, Astrid, Nina, Lincoln etc... They need to remember, and I'm sure the rest of the season will be working towards that.

By the way, this would definitively answer that Peter did use the MACHINE in this timeline/universe. We had been speculating all season why no one remembered. I guess it just was never referred to because they didn't remember Peter. Sure, there could be some plot holes there if we dug a little bit, but for the sake of the story they're telling I think it worked! And retroactively, I think anyone who had complaints at the start of this season can go back and re-enjoy the story being told all season with the knowledge that our core characters have been in it the whole time. That's how I had been viewing it anyway!

Walterism of the Week

Walter was talking about going Beaver hunting in the 70s. "Of course, in those days, beaver meant something different entirely." Doesn't get much more classic than that!

Food of the Week

We had references to M&Ms, saw him eating potato chips, and of course....smelling roadkill!

Olivia's Internal Struggle

The entire episode we see Olivia dealing with her struggles with these newfound memories of Peter. Now that Peter wants nothing to do with her (for the sake of finding his own Olivia). She confided in her "step-mother" Nina saying how she is in love with Peter. She couldn't remember their weekly breakfast tradition which gave her concern.

Olivia ended up talking to Walter. She didn't care about losing her memories when she had Peter, but now she wants to go back to who she was. Walter said he would figure something out.

After tracking down the killer and getting all of this chemical knowledge of True Love, she feels that having loved is better than never having loved at all. So, she wants to live with these feelings rather than lose them forever. She asked Nina to support her which she reluctantly did. And she asked Nina to try and reestablish the love that they had if she totally forgot these other memories. (could make for an interesting relationship down the road, right?)

Of course, in the end Peter realizes that the Olivia here is HER Olivia! The music comes in, we all swoon and there are Peter and Olivia separated by a just enough that they need to run into each other's arms. Did anyone else feel that they'd throw in a twist of a car hitting them or something? In any case, Olivia and Peter are reunited and they embrace as the episode cuts to black. Whew, very well executed episode!

Implications of what we've learned

Well, Olivia and Peter are reunited, but not everyone remembers Peter still. And Olivia may not even acknowledge yet that she truly is Peter's Olivia. I'm sure Peter will explain to everyone but it may still take time for them to regain their memories. The bond between Peter and Olivia surely was what made her remember first, I guess. You would think Walter wouldn't be too far behind. He already is so much more like the Walter we have known than he was earlier this season. How Broyles, Astrid, Nina and Lincoln adjust? I don't know.

And you can tell Lincoln is having a hard time with Olivia developing these feelings for Peter. He really thought he had a shot. Will that feeling just go away if he remembers the one case he worked on with Peter before he vanished from existence?

But of course the big question is: How on earth is David Robert Jones back and who is this EVIL Nina Sharp? Well, I threw my theory into the ring last episode or a couple episodes back. I'm now convinced more than ever that they are from a different timeline and have been tampering with THIS timeline for their own personal gain. How they knew Peter disappeared and could use that to their advantage, I don't know! But, we have 7 episodes to find out!

And based on some interviews with the producers, they have not forgotten about the man with the X on his shirt that we met in an LSD animated episode merging Olivia and William Bell's minds. And with Olivia having a death wish in every timeline, it wouldn't be far fetched that we might see him this season.

Anyway, I hope everyone is as excited about the turn of events this season as I have been. I think season 4 has been equally as engaging as last season (which was arguably their creative "peak". Of course, I'd just say the peak has maintained right into season 4). It would be a shame to let such a great show leave the air without resolve. And based on producer comments, I am not worried about getting that resolve. I am confident that we will one way or another.

So that's it for today. 7 more weeks of new episodes and I intend to be there! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

Other shows that are being discussed in comments recently: Sons of Anarchy, How I Met Your Mother, Once Upon a Time, American Horror Story, Dexter, Chuck, Shameless, Mad Men (March 25th!), Game of Thrones (April 1st!), among others. Feel free to join in!

See trailers for the Mid-Season shows I'm looking forward to: Awake and Touch.

As always, there are other shows that I watch as well and would be happy to discuss with all of you in the comments of any of these blog posts.

Ugh i hadn't read that yet. Guess it'll still be a fight to the end of the season. But regardless the producers have made it clear they were never going to change their approach to this season's finale. They're filming the finale now anyway! Lol

I agree 100% that it was a great episode Mike. I too could not see any other outcome (that Peter was in the same time line) even though I was willing to try to think out of the box with various theories.

I definitely think September is back, not just his image. Interesting to see how the Observers punish one of their own.

I suppose this is the same timeline it's just that things unfolded differently. One major flaw of course is "how did the bridge get there and why did the appearance of the machine change (the one view we got of it didn't look like something a human stepped into with four receptacles, legs and arms". There is a paradox there for sure.

Wonder what will happen when the observers find out September is back (if I am right and he really is back).

I still think that Jones is back because Peter wasn't there to kill him. All this time change thing is just to open to possibilites.

Well, now I suppose we will have one or two episodes where things are kind of calm (exept for the case of the week) and then we will be thrust into the next crisis for the season end. Like I've said before, the writers never let we viewers get our feet on the ground for long. For an episode of two we think we know what's going on and then they pull the rug out from under us (again). Guess that's whe we like it and what makes it special.

Haven't read the recap or the comments yet - Just wanted to say congrats Mike on making the call !

I'll catch up later - but both Fringe and Once were great this weekend.

Q - I re-watched the last Fringe and noticed something that I don't remember us discussing before. When Walter puts Peter into Sept's mind the show a screen where Walter is monitoring them and Sept is listed as Mr. X ! Did we talk about that after that ep ??

Thanks MJ! Haven't watched ONCE yet but I'll try to tonight. As for the Mr. X thing. Here's an excerpt from my recap of that episode. lol

"But, we have now seen that the effects of the cortexiphan abilities cause Olivia pretty intense seizures. And she's probably going to be forced into using the abilities on an even more intense scale eventually. Perhaps the man with the X on his shirt will be present for this unforeseen event? And do we think it's a coincidence that Walter referred to September on his "mind converging computer" as "Mr. X"??? (that just came to me as I was typing this by the way)"

@Bill - No prob for the recap! You make a good point with Jones. You know now that I think about it...the whole Nina thing is still a little messed up. If Peter is still in the same timeline. Why would Olivia have both of her arms and the other Nina have the fake arm (i.e. MEANA)? Could it be that the 2 armed nina IS a shapeshifter and EVIL Nina is the REAL Nina?? Sorry, went off on a tangent there. But something there still needs to be explained! lol As for Jones...I dunno. I can see how he could be some "happy accident" in the timeline mess-up...but I still like my "invader from a different timeline" idea. lol

Ah - it was noticed then. I guess it was one of those weeks where I had to skim the recap or it was while I was away.

So if this is the world that Peter is from and this is his Olivia - then how come her whole background has changed? She grew up with Nina in this version of our world rather than what we knew about her past for 3 years. It makes sense that Walter's memories have changed due to peter being erased - but whom Olivia and her sister lived with as children should not have been impacted by Peter dying as a child.

I loved the ep - but really it made no sense for Olivia to just decide she wanted the other life that for her were like someone else's memories. I love the romantic aspect and that they are together again - just not sure I like how we got there. And then Olivia gives up the memories of a great childhood. I'm a romantic at heart and choosing to let your other memories of your life go is not romantic to me. Just saying.

Your comment : "she asked Nina to try and reestablish the love that they had if she totally forgot these other memories. (could make for an interesting relationship down the road, right?)" makes no sense to me since what happened to Olivia will be happening to everyone else and Nina will not remember having the two girls as her almost daughters and won't remember Olivia asking her to reconnect. Which is sad.

Scooby Doo on the tv was fun though, and the whole beaver comment too.

I did notice the hashtag and wondered if it was part of the 'save the show' article that I had posted here in the blog.

That kitchen def had a 50's/60's vibe. I thought the beacon was familiar but could not remember the particulars !

@MJ - Peter WAS erased so the timeline was altered, but now that he's back...it's recorrecting itself...I think. So Olivia has remembered her past...but other characters haven't yet. I think that is coming. What I keep forgetting to mention though is that I think Henry is erased for good. (fauxlivia's henry)...I really have no idea how this is all gonna play out. I'll speculate more later!

Great episode, we don't get many happy endings on this show! It's always a good thing when Peter and Olivia are together!

Read all the comments -- I too am very confused about the whole Nina thing. Sometimes she has the fake arm and sometimes not, and I can't always keep track. I don't know how much more we'll see of Jared Harris since he is back full-time on Mad Men!!!

I thought we had seen the beacon before, but couldn't remember when or why.

Once Upon a Time was also good this week. I don't know how long they can continue the story line, but it is entertaining. I tried to find out who the guy was that played the Mad Hatter, but his name was not listed in IMDB.

I love the fact that The Observers are supposed to not have feelings, yet it is so touching to see how much September cares for Peter and Olivia. The guy is a great actor, because he makes you feel that even though he is totally expressionless. You can just see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

Once - the Queen's face when MM was sitting in that cell was just great. SO did I understand it all right - the hatter was stuck in the house in Storybrook until Emma came so now he can leave his house ?

Shameless - let me know when you are up to date on watching it Mike.

No HIMYM tonight. So sad. But our 2 hour finale for Alcatraz. Read a little stuff on TV GUide.com about what we can expect to get. Finally some Tommy Madson stuff

@MJ - I read your comment more in-depth now. I actually analyzed this when we were learning about them. It does make sense that Olivia's childhood would change based on the flashbacks we've seen. Basically, she had a different childhood because Peter's interaction with her didn't happen. Walter was trying to "CROSS OVER" to send Peter home which led to different experimentations for Olivia. She also ran away in fear of her step father and met up with Peter. Peter may have offered her some sign of hope. And then Walter stood up to the Stepfather telling him to not lay a finger on her. But...since that didn't happen....maybe things escalated to a point where Olivia murdered her step father. Now, of course...with Peter being reinserted...does that murder still stick? I don't know. Does Henry get reborn? I don't know. It seemed like Henry wasn't supposed to exist in the first place (at least between peter and fauxlivia) So yeah...until there is further explanation...i guess there are some holes in the whole "you already are home" answer. lol

I think the fact that Olivia is content with it is because it just feels so real and right to her. If you recall...in the beginning of this season...Olivia and Walter were walking around like part of them was missing. They were just going through the motions of life....but were really sad. I guess I get where you're coming from, but I get that the writers are stressing that this feeling of "LOVE" between these 2 characters is so strong that it defies all logic. (and science)

Maybe everyone won't get their "OLD" memories back. Maybe it's just Olivia...and Walter (has to be Walter, right?). But, I think we're only working with a piece of the puzzle right now. I think more details will be filled in with the remaining 7. So, don't make any assumptions just yet! (that goes for me too. lol)

No need to wait on talking ONCE...I'll catch up! lol I'm probably going to be falling behind big time next week. We're going to have visitors upon visitors. So, I'll be sure to fit in my MUST WATCHES. At least my recapping will be down to just FRINGE so that will help. lol

@Cajun - Funny that you say Fringe doesn't have many happy endings when the show always takes the approach of "HOPE" with everything it does. lol But yeah, on a week to week basis, it can be tough to see that!

As for Jared Harris on Mad Men...well Allison Brie is pulling double duty as Trudie on Mad Men and Annie on Community too! I think they're just on different filming schedules. Mad Men is probably done shooting already, but I could be wrong about that. They have to be close. But yeah...I think David Jones being back as a villian is a one season thing. But I could be wrong!

Well September is different than most observers...that is...except August. August fell in love with a girl in season 2 and died for her too. But Observer has always been partial to the Bishop boys and Olivia! I agree...he's really good at emoting when showing no emotion at all! lol

@Kelly - Seriously...no one has to wait to discuss because of me! Just clearly label what you're discussing, and I'll catch up eventually!

Yup, no HIMYM until April 16th but then I'm guessing it will be non-stop to the end. And the finale will be 1 hour long! (i.e. 2 eps)

I'm glad Alcatraz will be over after tonight. I enjoy it, but recapping it has seemed a bit repetitive! lol Maybe with some Tommy stuff tonight and maybe a little reveal on the HATCH (basement doorway thing) we'll have some stuff to discuss!

Shameless/Once...not sure if I'll get to watch both tonight, but I'll try. Probably will watch ONCE first. lol

Mad Men – So, it appears they only jumped about 6 months from where we left off, and almost everyone seems to have a new place to live! I’m hoping they will explain about Joan, Roger and the baby because, last we knew, Roger thought she had the abortion, yet there’s a baby, so what does Roger think? If I were Peggy, I wouldn’t much like that Don’s new wife is now working in creative. Yes, it seems Peggy is her boss, but that would cause some friction since Peggy always fought the rumors that she slept with Don to get the promotion. I loved Peggy’s line when she said she didn’t know this Don because he is acting kind and patient. lol

Interesting that Don told Megan about Dick Whitman. Guess he learned that lesson. Better to be upfront than to have your wife find out something like that years later. And, that whole scene at the party with Megan singing was uncomfortable to watch. I kept thinking Don would really be mad at her for that “display” in front of his colleagues, but he seemed to only be upset at the surprise and being the center of attention. Then we have Megan hearing all the comments at the office after the party and going home upset. Another interesting scene between she and Don when he came home. Talk about a power play! For half a second, I thought she might jump off that balcony.

I couldn't even figure out how long it had been. Just that Sally grew like a foot! lol I thought the fact that Roger said "There's my baby!" ...he was slyly referring to the fact that he knew. But maybe he doesn't. I didn't rewatch any of season 4...so I'm a little hazy on some details and who knew what. Like I thought Don came clean to Megan in that finale episode...but I guess that never happened! lol I did consider that Megan might be contemplating suicide at one point in the episode too! And yes...the "Zoobie zoobie zoob zob" thing was very awkward to watch. lol Loved the fallout and Henry (harry?) talking about her when she was right behind him. So many great 1 liners in this episode...Roger as always had some great zingers.

And of course, we're smack dab in the middle of the Civil Rights movement now. I guess that will be the backdrop of a lot of this season. Usually each episode is like a month apart. So we should be going into 66 or 67 by the end of the season. I'm guessing that by the end of season 7 it will be 1970. (aka...series over)

The Peggy/Megan dynamic should be interesting this season as well, as you noted.

I read that January Jones was pregnant during a lot of this season so her screen time may be limited. (a little voice in me just yelled "YAY!" lol Anyway, love that Don referred to her as Morticia to the kids. lol)

Mad Men - I was kinda guessing at about a 6 month jump just based on Joan's baby looking pretty young and that she was still on leave. I rewatched the last season over the last few weeks on Netflix since it had been so long ago. Joan had told Roger it was his baby, but then told him she "had taken care of it" and that's how it was left. So, surely they will fill in those blanks for us. I have this feeling that Joan's husband won't be coming back. Nothing really to base that on though. Of course, I've never like him anyway.

Sally sure did have a growth spurt! That was a great line when Don said to say hi to Morticia and Lurch for me. And, the jabs between Roger and his wife at the party when Megan was singing..."Why don't you sing like her?" "Why don't you look like him?" OUCH!

Then we have Pete getting all forceful and even going against Roger in front of everyone. Then again, he is bringing in the business these days.

@Leslie - MAD MEN: Oh definitely with Joan's husband. The minute he announced he was going to war, I figured he was a goner. lol But, this show can be unpredictable so who knows!? Thanks for the refresher on the Roger/Joan stuff. Roger and wife's jabs at the party were great indeed! I can't believe they're still together. lol But, it doesn't look like they're very happy anymore.

Yeah Roger is definitely just a figure head these days. He doesn't do very much of anything except drink and crack jokes. So Pete has a right to be annoyed. But Roger has earned his way up the ladder, so Pete has to put in his time too. That's probably how Roger looks at it anyway!

@MJ -

FRINGE: I'm sticking by the "olivia had a hole" comment. lol Maybe hole isn't the right word, but it definitely felt like part of her was missing. She even referred to her inability to settle down with a guy. She hadn't experienced "true love" yet. She was forcing herself to make something happen with Lincoln, but then when the memories came flushing back, she experienced the "TRUE LOVE" that she had with Peter. It will be interesting to see how much changes/doesn't change now that we know he's back and if people start remembering him.

BTW...I watched ONCE! Great episode, maybe my favorite. They definitely have found their way.

And it looks like we know what will happen once people DO start remembering. It'll just make things worse because they can't do anything about it.

The Mad Hatter story was fantastic. And it looks like Emma is starting to speculate that Henry's theories are true. Seems like it will still be a long road to her actually wanting to convince herself it's true...but that's what makes a good story over the long run.

And what happened to the Mad Hatter? Did he jump into his hat and back to Wonderland/Fairy Tale land? lol Did the magic finally work again? Crazy.

And how about his comment that there are MANY different planes of existence? Obviously referring to Wonderland being a different place than Fairy Tale Land and EARTH-Land. lol Good stuff.

And what's Gold's game? I thought he was against the Queen? My guess is there is some kind of long con going on there on his part.